A Cat Crossed My Path
by Bionic Slime
Summary: *MAJOR REWRITE* Clawdia is still a cat girl and finds life dumping on her more so than ever before. Now some weird pizza delivery guy is kidnapping her and turning her already messed up life even more so upside down! The more time they spend together, the more they want to kill each other! Screwball comedy romance kinda story about my fav char from the series. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

**A Cat Crossed My Path**

 **Chapter 1: One Night Later**

 _Hello everyone! For those that read this story before, you'll notice its undergone a radical change and for those that haven't read this story before, I hope you will enjoy it! Long story short: I wrote the first chapter for this story during a very dark time in my life and well...I ended up putting a lot of that dark stuff into the story and it wasn't until I re-read that first chapter after things got better that I realized how dark this story had become. I decided to change the angle and format of the story and rewrite the whole thing over from scratch. I put into more comedy, more amusing situations I wanted to see happen and took out practically all of the super dark content and I feel much better going forward with this story after doing so. This story is a bit of a "what if" idea, with Clawdia remaining as a cat girl after the end of the series._

 _Why? Because I found her to be super boring and lame once she became human/Dia again. "Foodons" was a dumb show; let's face facts but Clawdia was easily the best part and the best character in the whole series. I loved her so much that I just wanted to write something just for her, and since there are so few Fighting Foodons fics, I figure why not contribute one about everyone's favorite pink furry cat girl? This won't be a super long story. There are going to be a lot of time skips/jumps, speeding up here and there just to give you an idea of what this story will be like. I've never done a Foodons story or a story in this particular way so I hope you guys like it. With that being said, enjoy the story and remember, any and all feedback is VERY MUCH welcomed. Enjoy!  
_

* * *

The aching pink cat girl lay lifelessly upon a strange bed. She let loose groggy sounding groans; moaning as if she was a mummy coming back from the dead. Clawdia slowly opened her pale violet eyes and adjusted to her new surroundings. She was still wearing the outfit she wore the night before: red swimsuit, large orange bow around her waist, black choker, emerald green arm bands, black and red boots and a green headdress like cloth hanging from her reddish pink hair.

"What the…where am I…how did I-ugh. My head feels like a speedboat plowed right through it," she grumbled miserably. She clutched her head; trying to stop the merciless pounding in her throbbing skull. "The last thing I remember, I was…I was in an alleyway…being attacked."

From the looks of the bed and the room, she surmised she must be in some kind of motel room. The sheets were turquoise and the pillows were dark grey. The carpet was magenta and the walls were painted a pale shade of canary yellow. There were two beds and she was sitting on the one closest to the bathroom. While it was obviously not a fancy hotel or anything glamorous, this certainly was one of the nicer looking motels she's been inside. This room didn't have roaches crawling all over the place or nasty, unidentifiable stains on the walls.

"But if I was in that alleyway, how did I end up here?" she mused out loud.

FLUSH!

Clawdia's eyes bulged in horror. Her furry face went from hot pink to ghostly white in seconds. Someone just flushed the toilet, someone is in the room with her and that someone could very well be one of the creeps that attacked her…or someone new and even worse! She curled her tail nervously around her waist and slowly turned towards the bathroom.

A young man stepped out of the bathroom. He was average height, medium, unkempt grunge green hair with bits of black in it, and wearing maroon pants and a grey t-shirt. The shirt showed a cartoon, cliché Italian chef with a white chef's hat. The chef's face was actually a pizza and had pepperoni slices arranged in the form of a smiley face and sliced green peppers shaped like a moustache. Above the pizza faced chef in gold, green and red letters read: Reggio's Pizza face stuffers. His steely blue eyes sparkled radiantly upon seeing Clawdia.

"Oh great, you're awake! I've been waiting, like, for freaking ever for you to wake up. Now I can finally do this," he beamed happily. The young man had something in his hands. The object appeared to be a roll of white tape of some kind. His smile widened as he flexed the tape, approaching Clawdia. "Now whatever you do…don't move."

"WAHHHHH, GET AWAY FROM ME KIDNAPPER!"

Clawdia screamed with a glass shattering shrill. The man cringed and clutched his ears, still holding the tape. Clawdia grabbed the closest objects within her paw's reach. She grabbed the TV remote control, a tissue box, a lamp and the room phone and hurled all of them at the man. He grunted in annoyance; shielding himself from the cat girl's mediocre arsenal.

The cat girl leapt from the bed towards the front door. She was desperate to escape her kidnapper before he gagged her with that duct tape. Lord knows what he'd do to her once he gets his hands on her.

"Come on, come on, just open already!" she shrieked.

Her paws tugged on the door, yanking and pulling again and again but with zero success. Clawdia was in such a frantic state of panic, she failed to notice the chain on the door was still locked. Her white chest fluff rise and fell rapidly due to her heavy breathing. The man approached Clawdia with his hands raised, frantically waving his arms in a "hushing" manner.

"Whoa, whoa, keep your voice down! I didn't kidnap you! Just calm down and let me-"

"Keep away from me you sick little creep!"

Clawdia reached for something she spotted on the small table in front of a window with closed blinds. She grabbed it, closed her eyes and screamed; bashing it like crazy against the man's raised arms. Unfortunately for her, all she had grabbed was a half full water bottle.

"OW, ow, would you-OW, just stop already! That is REALLY annoying," the man griped; flinching in irritation.

"I'll do this all night if I have to; anything to get you to let me go, you filthy sex criminal!"

"Oh come on, that's just rude! You've known me for like 20 seconds and you're calling me a sex criminal? I was OW trying to help, you know."

"Yeah, help yourself to _me_ ; well that's not happening hot hands. You better let me out or else I'm going to bust you up."

"No offense puss n' boots but I don't see that happening with a half empty water bottle as your weapon of choice."

Clawdia stopped for a moment. She examined the bottle in her claws, failing to realize that's what it was until just now. Most of the water had splashed out over her white furry chest and over the man's pizza T-shirt. The cat girl groaned and slammed the bottle to the ground. She snapped her fluffy pink fingers and revealed her cat claws. The man gulped loudly.

"Let's see if you change your mind after getting a face full of pain," Clawdia fiercely growled. She lunged forward, raising her claws in preparation for a swipe.

The man cried out in fear. He reached behind his back to remove something that was strapped to his back. He whipped out an ash black frying pan and placed it in front of Clawdia's oncoming swipe, her paw smashed into the pan with a quaking clang. Clawdia recoiled her paw and broke into a deafening howl. Her pink paw turned a painful shade of red, it throbbed like a thumping heartbeat in her other hand.

"WAAAAHHHH, where did you get a freaking frying pan from?" she screamed miserably; still clutching her throbbing paw.

"Oh this? Well um, actually, I sell cookware on the side. I make my own cooking products and I travel-"

Clawdia crunched her boot into the man's right foot before he could finish. He was wearing only a pair of white socks. He roared thunderously and dropped the frying pan to comfort his foot; accidentally dropping the pan right onto his other foot. The man dropped to the floor on his back, he clutched both his feet and just howled endlessly in devastating pain.

"This is my chance," Clawdia said.

The cat girl bolted towards the window; not even bothering to mess with the door locks a second time. Luckily, the brief breeze fluttering under the plaid colored curtains indicated the window was open. She smirked confidently. This meant she could slip out without busting through glass, then make a break for it and get away from this kidnapping creep.

"No-no-no-no wait, that's a really bad idea. You're going to get yourself killed," the man pleaded. He struggled to stand back onto his feet. He outstretched his arm to her, trying to get her to come back.

"Nice try sucker but I'm not falling for that trick. I'm an expert at escaping out of tight spots. I'm high tailing it out of here and there's nothing in this world that's going to stop me," she smugly taunted.

Clawdia had spent most of her life tricking and trapping others with lines like that. There was no way she was going to fall for the same stunts she used to pull on Chase and his do-gooder friends, no way. She leapt towards the window, soaring over and out of the room as if she were a bird. She squealed with joy as she watched the table and everything else in the room fall out of her range of vision. Clawdia felt the wind against her whiskers; she could see the night sky and internal view of the motel they were staying at. She was finally home free…or so she thought.

It was at this time Clawdia noticed that she was sailing over some railings outside of the motel room door. They were on the second floor and Clawdia was now heading right towards the square framed swimming pool below her. Her violet eyes turned pale and empty, she felt her heart sink; as would the rest of her in a few terrifyingly short seconds.

"Well except for _that_ ," she said; laughing nervously.

SPLASH!

Clawdia plummeted into the swimming pool. Her body splattered onto the pool, face down with her arms and legs outstretched; smashing down with a crushing slap so loud; the man could hear it all the way up to his room. Clawdia's pink body floated there for a few seconds; soggily drifting before sinking down to the bottom of the pool. The man quickly rushed to the edge of the railing bars. He spotted Clawdia sinking like an anvil and thudding loudly at the bottom.

"Yeah…that was really stupid," he groaned.

One impromptu swimming rescue later…

Clawdia sat miserably in a green chair; back in the hotel room she failed to escape from. The pink cat girl was shivering all over. Her pink fur was completely soaked, dripping puddles of icy cold pool water from her tail and wilted ears. She was wrapped in several thick, white motel towels. The man stared blankly at her as he ran the air dryer over her head and face.

"So yeah if your done winning the dumb ass of the year award, I was trying to tell you we're up on the second floor and jumping out of the window was a huge frigging mistake," the man dryly snapped.

"Well what did you expect? You took an unconscious girl back to a motel room without her permission and came at me with this whole creepy-ass-kidnapper-look on your face; not to mention the duct tape," she grumbled. Clawdia refused to look at the man. Anytime they're eyes crossed paths, she would close hers or turn her head in the opposite direction of his. Her limp noodle of a tail twisted up into a frustrated bind. "For all I knew, you were going to strap me to a chair and hack me to pieces with a chainsaw; ya creep."

"For the thousandth time, that was MEDICAL tape NOT duct tape and for the _hundredth_ thousandth time, my name is Graham," he angrily barked.

"Looked like duct tape to me…"

"Well clearly, you were wrong. Not many people would just risk their life for a complete stranger like that, twice I might add."

"What do you want, a medal of honor?"

"Well that would look nicely hanging off my vanity mirror, but I was thinking a simple _thank you_ would suffice!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know what kind of _thank you_ you're thinking of. You want me to repay you with my body, don't you sex fiend?"

Graham slammed the hair dryer on the table. He growled and snarled; forcing every fowl mouthed response he wanted to unleash down his throat. This girl was driving him up a wall and he just wanted to throw her back into the pool and let her drown like a waterlogged rat. In all his life, he had never met anyone as obnoxiously stubborn as this pain-in-the-ass cat girl. He bent down and moved towards her bunched up tail, spotting the puddles forming on the carpet.

"H-h-h-hey, what do you think you're doing down there?" Clawdia gasped.

"Trying to remove the stick from your stubborn ass, but since that's clearly impossible, I'll settle for unwinding your tail," Graham muttered; trying to focus on untangling the twisted tail. The tail squirmed frantically in his grasp.

"Don't touch my tail! A cat's tail is extremely sensi-"

SNAP!

"MEEEEEOOOOW!"

Graham loudly snapped the tail straight. Clawdia screeched like a banshee, she bolted from her seat and slammed her head into the ceiling with a crackling crunch. The towels dropped from her body and down onto Graham's head. Clawdia landed right back into the chair, groaning from the multiple pains shooting throughout both her head and her backside.

"Hey, hey, Clawdia; are you all right?" Graham asked; sounding somewhat concerned. He lightly slapped her furry cheeks. A small trickle of blood dripped from her forehead; the ceiling must have cut her when she crashed into it. He flashed a middle finger in front of her. "Hey, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Ugh…oh bite me," she groaned; clutching her aching head. "On second thought, don't. You'd probably enjoy that too much." The cat girl couldn't stop her head from pounding. She didn't even feel the stinging sensations in her tail anymore.

Graham looked at Clawdia; twitching and suffering like that. He knew he couldn't just let her sit and stew in her misery like that…even if she did deserve it a little.

He moved over to the bed and picked up the medical tape. He pulled up the other chair in front of Clawdia's, leaning forward with the tape in his extending hand. Clawdia stubbornly shook her head. She wanted nothing to do with the smart mouthed man.

"I know you're pissed at me and everything, but is it that unthinkable to accept my help when you're legitimately hurt?" he blurted out; exasperated with his frequent frustrations with her.

Feeling the wound in her head stinging more and more, Clawdia groaned and reluctantly agreed to let Graham help. She lowered her paw from her head and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Now just sit still, keep your eyes on me and I promise you won't feel a thing," he said comfortingly.

Though he didn't realize it, that last part ended up becoming a lie. Clawdia felt everything that was happening to her…just not in the way she expected she would.

Graham gently dabbed Clawdia's forehead with a damp washcloth; lightly dabbing away the blood. His hands moved to place the bandages across her forehead. She felt his hands brush across her pink fur, sending tingling shivers up and down her relaxing body. He moved so carefully, treating her with such delicate precision. A growing sense of warmth was filling her body up as he wrapped the bandages around her wound. Her eyes twinkled in awe at the haunting beauty of Graham's warm and compassionate blue orbs. She didn't even feel damp anymore. The pain, the cold, the wetness, everything seemed to blissfully melt away as Graham worked his medicine magic on her.

"Done and done, all finished. How do you feel now?" he asked.

Clawdia stared dreamily at the young man's face; too enchanted by those eyes to realize he even asked her a question. She shook her head and gasped in embarrassment. She placed her paws to her cheeks; she was blushing so hard she felt like she was on fire.

" _It's so weird…he looks so different up close like this. Has he always looked this good, or is this my concussion talking? Ah, what am I saying?! Why am I getting all worked up over this guy? All he did was bandage my head, and I only needed bandages because he was a colossal idiot! Still…he has been awfully nice to me…despite how rotten I've been to him. I guess I should be more grateful considering the giant kitty litter mess he pulled me out of."_

"Hey whiskers, you alive in there? I asked how you feel."

Clawdia shook out of her sporadic stupor, still mildly flushed from the strangely comforting bandage application.

"Oh I uh…f-f-feel much better actually…t-t-thank you for this. And-and also, thanks for you know…saving my life back there," she said; staring sheepishly down at her red boots.

"Yeah well…it was on my delivery route and I just…I just didn't like the look of things when I saw you there. I only did what anyone would have done," he nervously replied. His cheeks blushed as well.

"Heh, you clearly don't know me very well. No one was coming to get _this_ cat out of any tree. As far as most people are concerned, I'm better off as roadkill," Clawdia somberly stated.

"That's um pretty messed up, you know that?" he said; slightly shocked.

"Yeah well, I'm a pretty messed up person," she replied dryly.

"Why, just because you used to work for the Gluttons?"

That question struck her like a bullet to the heart. She didn't realize Graham knew she was a former Glutton. She assumed that he didn't know who she was or anything about her background. He wouldn't have bothered to save her furry butt if he knew otherwise, right?

Did this mean he regrets saving her life, was his family captured by the Gluttons at some point, what does she do now?

"I uh…I d-didn't know that you knew that I am uh…I mean I was uh-"

"You think I wouldn't have saved your life unless I had no idea who you are?"

Unable to form a response without stuttering or trembling like a skittering mouse, Clawdia slowly nodded. Graham picked up a water bottle, laughed briefly, and then gulped down a few swallows of the bottle.

"Well that's a lousy freaking thing to say. Though, I suppose if I worked with a bunch of A-Holes who pissed everyone off by trying to take over the world; I'd have a pretty lousy freaking view of myself too."

Graham stood up and approached Clawdia. His warm smile sent unsuspecting chills down her spine; chiseling the sturdiness in her legs little by little. She didn't know why this stranger she's known only for a few hours was having this effect on her, but he was. She felt compelled to leave but felt an even stronger urge to stay, stay in those gorgeous eyes and roguish smile of his.

"So…now that I'm all fixed up and those sleaze balls are probably gone, where does that leave us now?" she asked curiously.

"Pizza, lots and lots of pizza," he said intensely.

"Wait what?" she said; doing a double take.

GURGLE!

Graham's stomach thundered as if an earthquake was going off inside of his gut. He kneeled over, clutching his gut and groaning like a dog begging for scraps.

"I'm dying for some deep dish action here. Seriously, I'm going to start eating my own farts if we don't find something edible to shove into my face," he moaned miserably.

" _Classy guy, huh?_ " she thought to herself.

GURGLE! GURGLE!

Clawdia's face turned beat red. Her own stomach was shriveling up and gurgling just as loudly, she couldn't remember the last time she had a decent meal.

"Oh all right, we can go get some pizza, not like I got anything better to do," she said with a sarcastic snap.

"Perfect! We can take my delivery scooter, Reggie is probably wondering where the Hell I am anyway," he laughed sheepishly.

"Wait a minute, you're a pizza delivery boy, and-and your boss's name is Reggie? D-does that mean that… it does. You CHEAP ASS! You're taking me to eat at the pizza place you work for, the one that's on your shirt right, right?" she fiercely nagged.

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"Ugh! Just my luck, I had to have my tail saved by the cheapest cheapskate on the planet. Why can't I ever get rescued by some billionaire or a-"

WHAM!

"YEEEEEOOOW!"

Clawdia's snide comment was silenced by the ear splitting scream that erupted from her lips. As they were exiting the hotel room, Graham had intentionally slammed the door shut as quickly as possible; catching her tail in the doorway. Her pink tail was mangled into a frazzled, twisted up noodle. She painfully pulled her tail out of the doorway; no thanks to her "knight-in-shining armor."

"Uh oh! It looks pretty messed up. Guess you'll have to find one of those imaginary billionaire hero types to pop out of nowhere and save your tail, or you know; be a lot nicer to the _cheapskate_ , whichever comes first."

"Why yooooooou…I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Clawdia screamed like a raging lunatic, claws flailing and fangs bore. Graham ran like the wind and quickly headed towards the staircase leading to the ground floor.

Graham and Clawdia sat uncomfortably close on the rusty red pizza scooter. The bike wasn't designed for two people and since the back tray was meant for carrying pizzas, the cat girl was forced to bear hug Graham from behind. Her arms wrapped securely around his waist, her face buried in the base of his back. He wore an old, beat up, black cloth jacket that read "Juice corp." on the upper left pocket of the front of the jacket; grey sleeve cuffs were tattered and torn. Since there was only one helmet on the bike, Graham insisted Clawdia wear it.

"Okay, not that I really care about your no-doubt boring backstory, but there's a few things that are really confusing me right now. For starters, why didn't you just take me back to your place after you rescued me, what was the deal with the motel room?" Clawdia asked.

"Oh that. Well, I don't really have a place…I have an RV, I live in it and I was worried that you'd freak out when you woke up in a tiny, cramped place."

"Wait, so you rented a motel room just for my sake?"

"Well…rent is a strong word. The owner is one of my best customers. He orders pizzas from Reggio's like all the time. I sort of gave him a free pizza in exchange for using an empty room for a few hours, he was cool with it."

"Aren't you going to get in trouble with your boss for doing that? That pizza cost him money."

"That's okay; you can just pay me back with your body! You know? Like you promised earlier?"

WHAM!

Clawdia angrily throttled her fists against Graham's head for that remark. Her pink paws pounded into his dark hair like a jackhammer; badgering and beating against him like a punching bag.

"You ass, you creep, you filthy pervert! I knew it, I knew it, I'll teach you to say that kind of crap to a lady," she angrily barked.

"OW, OW, HEY QUIT IT! It was a joke all right? Just a stupid joke, OW, I'm still driving here," he exclaimed. Graham swerved from side to side, struggling to stay balanced as Clawdia pounded on his helmetless head.

"You hear anyone laughing smart ass? No! But keep it up and I promise you'll be hearing a lot more of this," Clawdia said. She leaned in and shrieked her loudest cat cry directly in Graham's ear.

Graham's eyes nearly jumped out of his skull. He felt like his ears were going to shatter like glass, his fingers shook uncontrollably; jerking the scooter side to side again. He turned the scooter towards an oncoming pot hole. The scooter violently rolled over the pot hole, bumping the bike and silencing Clawdia's screeching. The cat girl cringed in pain and covered her mouth with both paws.

"You big serk…I bit mah tongue," she mumbled pitifully. She stared at her wounded tongue; trying to get a sense of how badly she bit into it.

"Maybe that will teach you: never hit a smart ass while he's driving," he smugly replied. Graham winked to Clawdia and spat his tongue out at her.

"Oh ssshush up," she grumbled.

Eventually, they made it to the pizza restaurant. Reggio's pizza place was about as average looking as any other business building: pale grey paint, rusty red roof, and a big glowing, rotating sign in the parking lot. Clawdia noticed an RV parked in the far back of the restaurant, it was parked far enough back that other employees could use the parking lot without the RV taking up all the space.

Graham parked the scooter at the designated employee delivery spot. He hopped off and started heading towards the front door; unaware of Clawdia's hesitation.

"Wait," she said; biting her lip nervously.

He stopped and turned to look at her.

"Look, thanks for the rescue, cleaning me up and the offer for dinner but…maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I-I think I should just go. Sorry to have wasted your time."

"Why? What makes this such a bad idea? It's just dinner, I'm not asking you to sign your soul away."

"Because we…we barely know each other. It would be too weird; two total strangers meeting like this and sitting down to eat like it's a….like it's a-"

"Date?"

Clawdia looked sad for a moment. She twiddled her claws behind her back; blushing nervously. Eventually she nodded.

Graham mulled her words over. He rubbed his chin; looking deep in thought as his bike gloved hands ran slowly through his winding dark hair. Clawdia blinked in surprise as Graham suddenly snapped his fingers. He was smiling broadly, looking at her as if he made some brilliant discovery and she was a vital clue to his newfound surge of developing happiness.

"There's an easy way to fix that," he scratched his nose; grinning even wider than before. "My name's Graham, I'm a Taurus and I like pizza, Pepsi, music, making stuff with my hands and traveling. My dad died when I was 10 due to a heart attack and my mom apparently wanted nothing to do with me after I turned 5. She left me and my younger brother in foster care, and thanks to them, we got split up eventually and I haven't seen him since I was 10. I worked odd jobs my whole life until Reggie took me in, helping me learn to make cookware and help pool enough savings to buy that RV: the one thing I truly own. I don't like velvet clothing, I hate the word candle, I love to laugh and I'm about to have dinner with a cat girl named Clawdia."

The forwardness of the young man stunned Clawdia; paralyzing her with a brazen sense of honesty she was not used to. All her life, the pink cat girl had used lies, deception and trickery to make a dishonest living. She didn't know who or what was real anymore. She's not even really a cat; just a cursed human too scared to go back to a life she had no memories of. Her Glutton days taught her nothing of loyalty or friendship. The only thing she learned while being a Glutton was that everyone hates you, no matter which side of the coin your face is on.

For the first time in her life, was being given an honest chance to be truthful…to be _herself_. Not out of manipulation or blind obedience, but because someone genuinely wanted to get to know her.

"M-m-m-my name is Clawdia…but…it used to be Dia," she started to say. Her furry lips quivered nervously. It was taking all her strength to speak from her heart, revealing truths and secrets not even the Gluttons knew about. "I like root beer and I'm a Scorpio…but I don't really put much stock in horoscopes. I'm actually a human girl cursed by King Gourge. After he was defeated, I was too scared to see who I was before the curse and decided to hold onto the magic and remain a cat. I feared that turning human again would make me lose all my memories and everything that I am as a person would disappear too." She laughed weakly, sniffling with a wet, whimper of a sob. "Despite how much everyone hated me, Glutton and Rebel alike, I liked myself enough to stay the way I am now. I care enough about me even if no one else did."

"Chase and his friends offered to help, but I had caused them and the world so much trouble; I couldn't burden them like that again. I wanted to make it on my own and achieve some kind of a respectable life. No one wanted to hire a former terrorist though. I work at a crappy Chinese restaurant with an abusive manager and live in an even crappier basement makeshift apartment below the restaurant. I get harassed routinely by this guy named Jonas, he and his buddies grope me and say lewd things to me every time I see them. They were the ones you rescued me from."

Graham's eyes widened at this response. He opened his mouth to say something, but Clawdia raised her paw and looked pleadingly towards him; asking him to wait.

"I like who I am but no one likes or wants me and I sometimes end up hating myself just because I'm around it so much. Sometimes I feel like this is my punishment and I have to suffer for all the bad that I've done. I don't want to hurt anyone or terrorize any villages with monsters anymore, but I don't know if I matter enough anymore that what I want makes a difference. I don't know where I'm going or what I'm doing with my life…only that that's all I have left…my life and nothing more."

"That's not true."

The man approached Clawdia, boldly and tenderly. His eyes stared into her tear soaked orbs with compassion her heart had never known. All the cold, empty, agonizing pain she was feeling fluttered away; chased off like a flock of birds in a park. This was a moment beyond her reasoning, beyond any dream she'd had or would ever have. This was a very special moment, one she she'd remember for the rest of her life.

"You have something else too, something you don't even realize," he said charmingly. The silver blades of moonlight shimmered beautifully in his luminous blue eyes.

"Y-y-yeah, w-w-what's that?" she said breathlessly. Cheeks flushed and heartrate pounding.

"My hand on your ass," he said commandingly.

THWAP!

Clawdia suddenly felt a warm, squeezing pair of fingers kneading her firm ass like cookie dough. The redness in her cheeks exploded into a full blown firestorm. The tender, loving moment she had ingrained into her brain would be forever tainted by this pervert's odious behavior. Steam shot out of her ears. She had a look in her eyes that would kill the devil himself, and she was aiming it right at that very same creep whose hand was still permanently fused with her buttocks.

"YOU PERVERTED BASTARD!"

She swung her claw wielding hand at his head; finding nothing but air wiggling between her razor sharp digits. Clawdia looked around and saw Graham running towards the restaurant. He was laughing and waving, signaling her to come and chase him into the pizza place.

"When I get my claws on you, I'm going to turn your ass to Swiss cheese and then decorate the pizza with it!" she screamed scornfully.

"Ha, ha, guess you're going to have to come inside to get me if you want your hands on my ass. I'm quite flattered and it's up for grabs if you really want it. Yours is top shelf by the way, top freaking shelf! I'll be waiting inside for you, and I'll have a hot cheese pizza and an ice cold grape soda when you decide to come in," he said joyfully. The young man vanished behind the front door; jingling a small bell as he entered.

Clawdia continued to pout and curse Graham's name with every filthy word her devious mind could concoct. Her mind was racing with the most nefarious means of payback she would unleash on that perverted pizza delivery boy.

"Ugh…oh what the hell…I'm too hungry to think straight. I'll go eat that stupid jerk's pizza and drink his soda. It's a free meal and a free chance to get him back for the Hell he put me through tonight," she grumbled angrily in defeat. Her red boots clomped as she walked towards the front door. An odd smile forming as she entered, "Let's see how much fun Mr. Handsy thinks this _date_ is going to be."

To be continued…

* * *

 _If your reading this then thank you very much for reading it all the way to the end! I'm still sorting out all the bugs in this story so any ideas, suggestions, comments, criticisms are heavily encouraged and supremely appreciated. Let me know what worked, what didn't and what you'd like to see next. Until then, bye for now!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: One Date Later**

The young pink cat girl and the grungy haired teen sat silently in the empty pizza restaurant. It was past closing time but Reggie had allowed them to have a late night dinner regardless. They sat at a table under a faded emerald light that shined on the glistening soda cans and empty pizza plates; awaiting their order to be fulfilled by Graham's boss.

Any curious onlooker would have found it strenuously difficult to avoid the suffocating awkwardness between the cat girl and human boy. Clawdia lazily scribbled a single claw against the vacant plate, her nail shuffled amongst the leftover crumbs from the garlic bread they had eaten moments ago. Graham's eyebrow twitched with jittering irritation at Clawdia's screeching claw movements.

"Could you please stop doing that? You're going to scratch Reggie's plates up, not to mention it's pissing me off something fierce," Graham bitterly griped.

Clawdia's purple eyes glared dully at the sarcastic pizza boy. The idea of annoying him seemed to please the cat girl; she proceeded to scrape and scratch the plate more vigorously. Graham winced at the screeching sounds. A mischievous smirk appeared on the feline's whiskered face.

"I'm beyond serious, cut it out! You're gonna make Reggie mad. Besides, he's giving us this free dinner so show a little respect!"

"Oh, respect? You mean like when you were getting all handsy with me back there? Here's _your respect_ ," Clawdia snapped.

She started shredding the table top into confetti. She laughed mockingly at Graham's panicking reaction. He ducked down; hiding under the table before Reggie came around.

"Just what the HELL do you think YOU'RE DOING?!" snarled a gravelly voice.

Clawdia stopped instantly. Her fur stood on edge from the tips of her ears to the nails on her toes; instantly chilled by that gruesome sounding voice that boomed from behind. She slowly turned to see the owner of that odious scent; clogging her nostrils enough she could barely smell the fresh pizza he had just brought out.

Reggie was a large, oafish, troll like man with a portly belly, unsightly 5 o'clock shadow and a face that looked like a disgruntled hippopotamus. The thuggish restaurant owner wore a traditional chef outfit, though his was severely soiled with multiple grease stains and pizza sauce splatters. No signs of any hair poked out from that limp chef hat that sat on his head like a wilted flower. He glared down at Clawdia with shallow green eyes that had splashes of grey mixed in. This brutish looking man was even scarier looking than most of the Foodon monsters she cooked up.

"Heh…I was just uh…trying to uh…you-you have a l-l-l-lovely restaurant Mr. R-r-r-r-reggie," Clawdia said; babbling aimlessly. She laughed sheepishly and tried to play her cat-scratch behavior off as a poor joke.

Reggie growled at her like a Neanderthal. He slammed the pizza down; rattling the table and Graham hiding below. The troll-like man proceeded to slam the napkins, silverware and drink refills down as if he was hammering nails. Graham slowly poked his head back up. He was hesitant but he was also quite hungry, and even though he wasn't the one who angered Reggie; he was the one who convinced him to let Clawdia stop by for a meal after closing.

"Quit screwing around kid and eat your damn dinner. I don't feel like dealing with this stuff," he grumbled and stormed off. His footsteps created deafening thuds with each step he made.

"T-t-t-thanks boss, see ya for work tomorrow," Graham squeaked out.

Clawdia was about to thank him as well but was promptly silenced by a red and white checkered apron that crashed into her face with the force of a softball. She grunted and fell onto her back; weak groans murmuring from the floor. "What the heck is?" she pondered. Clawdia sat back up and examined the apron; finally realizing what it was. "Why did he give me an apron? Does he want me to wipe up with this or something?"

"Don't be a ditz, he wants you to work here so you can pay this off," Graham clarified.

"WHAT? I thought you said this meal was free you cheese dick!" she shrieked; eyes bulging vividly.

"Yes, the _meal_ is free, but the plates you scratched up and the table cloth you tor up isn't free. Judging by your job history and the fact you agreed to this impromptu dinner, I'm betting you don't have the cash for it. So naturally; waitressing it is," he replied.

"Great, now I can get oogled and mistreated at an Italian restaurant as well at a Chinese restaurant," she grumbled and planted her feet onto the table. "Some date you turned out to be," she said angrily under her breath.

Graham frowned and swatted her feet off the table. He shook his head as he looked at her bitter scowl. "Reggie may be a walking Fright fest attraction but he's not an A-hole. He doesn't tolerate that kind of treatment here. Besides, he's only doing this because you broke his stuff. He could have done a lot worse. Be lucky he didn't spit in the pizza or something," he pointed out.

"How do you know he didn't?"

"Come on, just because he's not Joe Sunshine doesn't mean you can't trust him," Graham said defensively.

"He's not the one I don't trust, happy hands," Clawdia hissed back.

After exchanging a few more insults, the two decided it would be best if they both stuffed their mouths full of pizza. At least then they'd both shut up for a change.

Clawdia carefully cradled an especially gooey piece of cheese pizza. She looked at it skeptically; sniffing it to see if any globs of spit could be detected. Graham chomped into his own slice eagerly though she didn't trust him anymore than the trusted the caveman in the kitchen.

Ah screw it.

She took a cautious bite. Her eyes widened suddenly. She was surprised at how good this pizza tasted, and she'd eaten tons during her time as a Glutton. Graham had a surprised-yet-smug look on his face. He knew she'd enjoy the pizza. She hated giving him the satisfaction of knowing he was right, but this tasted too damn good and she was way too hungry to stop eating just to put up a fowl front. Before she knew it, Clawdia had scarfed down half of the pizza.

"See? I told you this stuff was gourmet crap," he happily stuffed a piece of crust into his mouth, "I know my pizza and _this_ is good pizza."

"Yeah, yeah; you're not a total loss after all. Just don't let it go to your head," she said dismissively.

CLINK!

Graham cursed under his breath. His fork dropped down to the floor, bent down to pick it up. It was at this moment that Graham's steely blue eyes discovered something truly alarming: he wasn't on a date with a girl; he was on a date with a _woman_.

Unsurprisingly, he was treated to a private view of Clawdia's body under the table. Her smoothly sculpted legs crossed alluringly with the sugary pink fur grinding whisperingly against one another. The cherry red boots she wore shaped her calves curvaceously. Very little was left to his perverse imagination upon seeing her red speedo, they made her thighs cling irresistibly close. Even her idly curling tail had its own unique charms that were not lost on the young man's mind. Though she was a humanoid feline and a pain in the ass, he was starting to see the beauty hidden within the beast.

"Ahem!"

CLANG!

"Ow! Dammit!"

Graham banged his head under the table. Clawdia's irritated grunt caught him off guard, she also caught him red handed for sneaking a peak. He groaned at the throbbing pain in his head and he rose up to face the furious looking feline; face to face. His cheeks blushed furiously.

"Looking for some other piece of _pie_ to stick your _fork_ into, eh buddy?" she snapped angrily. Her cheeks puffed up adorably as she growled.

"Y-y-y-yeah, I know, that wasn't cool. Sorry hot stu-ER I mean…Clawdia," he stumbled nervously.

"You done digging your own grave, or should I lend you these to help?" she flashed her claws threateningly.

Graham squeaked in fear. He hid his face behind his empty pizza plate; pitifully using it as a makeshift shield.

"I know I've been really inappropriate and I'm sorry for like…half of them," Clawdia raised an eyebrow at that remark, "but I'm just kind of…new…to all of…this." He gulped loudly and slowly lowered his plate. Clawdia seemed more perplexed then furious at the moment.

"What do you mean: new to all of this?"

"New to girls…you know…like talking to them, dating them, making small talk with them…so pretty much everything to do with girls," he laughed sheepishly. Clawdia remained sourly unamused.

"Gee what a shocker," she flatly. Clawdia uncrossed her legs and crossed her arms over her chest, her tail laid lifelessly on the ground. Even a novice like Graham could sense the cold vibes she was sending out. "You know, I think I'm done for the night. Thanks for the food but now it's time-"

"W-w-w-wait please; don't go. As weird as it sounds I'm kind of enjoying your company and this date is like, the most fun I've had in a long ass time. Just stay a little longer," he said earnestly. His shimmering eyes pleading for her to stay; twinkling like stars in the night sky.

"Look, I don't have much of a life but I do have one and I need to get back to it. So tell Grunty McGrunterson thanks for the grub but this cat is splitting," she said with a sneer. Clawdia stood up from her seat and headed towards the door.

Graham panicked slightly and decided to follow after her.

"H-h-hold up, it's late and you're nowhere near your place. I can at least give you a ride back home," he said; feet stumbling to keep up with her brisk pace.

"Thanks but no. Just because Jonas and his buddies jumped me doesn't mean I'm a helpless little flower. I'll claw the face off any mugger or murderer who tries to mess with me tonight," she said stiffly.

"Hey I never said you were helpless. I'm just saying it'd be smarter if you-"

"UGH! Would you just piss off already?! God, this is why you don't know anything about girls. You're too grabby, you don't take a hint and most importantly; no girl is interested in some orphaned loser who lives in a crappy RV behind a dumpy pizza place, GOT THAT?" she shrieked deafeningly.

Graham felt the warmth of this strange evening turn violently cold. It crept on him like a virus; crippling all sense of feelings and emotion inside him. The color drained from his face along with the lights in his eyes. Clawdia immediately realized the magnitude of her horrible words, but already knew it was too late to take it back.

The damage had been done.

"H-h-h-hey, look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, no; you're absolutely right. I uh don't know what I was thinking. Just um…just head on home and I'll…I'll t-t-take care of your bill with Reggie. Sorry for wasting your time."

Clawdia didn't know a person's voice could sound that low, so hollow and broken, and she was the one who caused it. Graham couldn't bear to look at her as he picked up her plates and utensils off the table. He carried everything back to the kitchen without uttering a single word. He felt as broken and scarred as the plates Clawdia damaged, and yet, despite the fact he knew how absurd it was to be this wounded over a forced date…he felt like a gash had been opened up in his heart.

The pink cat girl didn't know how to react. She wanted to apologize but no words could be formed, no gesture could mend the unmistakable pain she had clearly caused. Clawdia vainly called out to the young delivery boy. "Um Graham…I just wanted to say…thank you for you know…everything," she raised a paw towards him; reaching for his shoulder. She was hoping he would turn around to look at her or even acknowledge her in some way, but he didn't.

"Goodbye then…"

Clawdia watched Graham disappear into the shadows of the kitchen, any hope of getting lost in those enchanting blue eyes vanishing with him.

She left the restaurant and started on her not-so-merry way back to her home. The memory of that heartless exchange replayed in her mind over and over again; tormenting her. Just thinking about the long, draining walk back to her rat hole of an "apartment" in the Chinese restaurant basement made her shiver with loathing. She couldn't believe she called Graham's RV crappy considering where she had to sleep tonight.

 _It's definitely a major downgrade compared to the accommodations the Gluttons offered. Even when I was at the bottom of their corporate ladder, I still lived and ate better than I do now._

After the Gluttons fell, those that weren't arrested only had two options: flee the country or tough it out here and try to find work in a society that you once imprisoned and attacked. Clawdia lacked the finances or resources to leave. There was always Chase and his friends, but she felt she burdened them enough with all she put them through and swore to herself she would be strong enough to make it on her own. Plus, she hated relying on others for anything.

 _Cinnamonkey, Cole Slaughter, Rose Marinade, Grill, King Gorge; none of them had my back when I really needed it or asked for it. I always swore I'd try my hardest to be better than they were, to treat others better than they treated me…look how that worked out._

She remembered spending numerous days going from place to place, asking everyone for some kind of job. Just about everyone slammed the door in her face and wouldn't give her as much as a penny for her troubles. She did it so long, days started to blur together and the cold nights she spent sleeping in alleyways and cardboard boxes always reminded her she couldn't give up. Eventually, she found a Chinese restaurant that had a rundown basement that they agreed to let her live in and make her own so long as she worked as a waitress to earn her stay and meals.

 _I felt like some pink, furry piece of meat that everyone wanted to take a bite out of. The customers, the chefs, the manager; no one gave a damn about my existence. Prison sounded so tempting after one week in that dingy dump._

Her red boots clomped along the lowly, lonely road back to her home. She cringed at even using that word _home_ when referring to that rancid basement. The flickering lights from the streetlamps only made her more anxious to get going. She felt so down and lost though, she couldn't even remember how long she had been walking or how much further she had to go. Clawdia barely remembered any of the surroundings whirring past her when she was riding on Graham's bike. Might have been useful to pay attention to where you are, idiot.

 _Graham…I never thought I'd say this but I feel bad for the guy. Sure, he was perverted, bossy, sneaky, and obnoxious. And also kind of thick headed and doesn't understand one damn thing about girls…but still…he was also really kind of sweet._

"Even after all I've done in this world and all the things I said and did to him after he saved my life, he still wanted to help me. No one's ever done anything like that for me," she sighed miserably.

Her boots slowly came to a halt. Standing in the middle of the seemingly endless road, Clawdia looked back in the direction of the pizza shop that had long vanished from view.

"What am I doing? What am I doing trudging around here; moping and groaning to myself?" she nodded firmly. Clawdia turned around and started storming back towards Reggie's place and Graham's RV. "That dork is the only one who'd listen to me gripe all night like this. And since he was kind enough to give me dinner, it's only fair I reward him with my charming company," she paused to snicker; "besides…I still owe him an apology."

She made her way back to Reggie's restaurant. Her magenta eyes seized up for a moment when she spotted the shadowy RV hiding in the back; realizing what she had to do. The cat girl had never been good with apologies. She said sorry all the time to her former employers when she screwed up, but she saw that more as sniveling than a genuine apology.

The feline cautiously approached the RV door. She made sure her steps were careful and quiet. She didn't want Graham or Reggie to spot her and ruin everything, it was taking all of her strength just to stand in front of that faded orange door and not run off in a panic. Graham would most likely still be hurt. Who wouldn't be? He'd probably scream, curse, cuss her name out and chuck stuff at her head, and she'd deserve every bit of it.

"Still, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. You owe him that much," she muttered to herself; mustering her courage.

Clawdia hesitantly rose up her left paw and reached out to knock on the door.

CREAK! SPLASH!

A gallon of water splashed onto her head; soaking her from head to tail tip. She groaned miserably as she felt cold droplets drip from her soggy whiskers. Standing behind the door was Graham, holding an empty pan that, up until 2 seconds ago, was filled to the brim with water. He was wearing a black, short sleeved "Amazing Spider-man" shirt and white pajama pants littered with tiny skulls all over.

"Oh sorry about that, I saw a great big lump of bitch in front of my home and I thought that'd wash it away," she stared grumblingly at the boy's snarky remarks, "guess I need more water."

Clawdia held up her soaking paws in surrender. Her hair slumped together in damp, thick patches of matted hair as she bowed her head. "Look, I know you're pissed and if someone gave me a brutal tongue lashing like that, I'd probably want to soak their head too," she paused to wipe her face clean, "and I don't expect you to forgive me I just want to ask you to listen."

Graham stared rigidly at the drenched cat girl.

She was right, he was firmly justified in his anger and the fact she's asking him to listen to her after that low blow was an insult to injury. But there was something stirring in him, something that told him he can't just leave her out here like this…just like he couldn't leave her when he saw her being attacked in the alleyway.

"You've got two minutes; make em count," he grunted.

"Life has been one giant pile of used kitty litter ever since the Gluttons went belly up. No, actually it was even before that now that I think about it. The point is, as miserable as my life has been and still is; it was beyond unfair for me to rip into you about yours. You've suffered a lot and all I did was rub salt into your wounds while you were kind enough to patch up mine. The truth is every guy that looks at me either drools over me or gives me a nasty case of stink eye.

You're the first guy who actually saw me as…pretty, I should be so lucky to have someone look at me the way you did. You have every reason to cuss me out or dunk me again, lord knows I deserve it. But I don't want to go back home tonight and I certainly don't want to head back soaking wet all alone. So…I know this is asking a lot and I've been such a little idiot but…do you think you could let dry off and maybe even…let me crash here for the night; please?"

The first thing that came to Graham's mind was: Hell no! He wanted to shout it to her water logged face and chase her off into the night with a spritzer bottle like any other stray.

But instead, he said something else.

"Fine…you can dry off and chill in my RV. Long as you don't snore or shed fur or anything, we should be cool for the night," he dryly replied.

"And from now on?" she asked hopefully.

"Don't push your luck pussy cat."

Clawdia realized this wasn't going to be fixed with a simple apology overnight. So she smiled, nodded and took whatever he was generous enough to offer.

She came aboard the RV and curiously examined Graham's room/home. For a guy living all by himself in an RV, she was surprised at how clean the place was. Granted, it wasn't perfectly immaculate. There were empty pop cans here and there, a few sauce stains on the inside of the microwave and some areas could use a good dusting but other than that; it was rather cozy.

"Here, I'd rather not get my socks soaked."

Graham handed her a towel. She stared blankly at him for a moment; taking a second or two to process what he was saying. Eventually, she realized she was still staring at the towel and apologized as she took it to dry off. He showed her to the bathroom so she could get out of her wet clothes.

"Thanks again Graham, you're a real gentlemen. You know…aside from all the pervy comments and grabbing and stuff but still-"

"Just hurry up already! I've still got to wash my face and brush my teeth and all that crap."

She nodded and quickly started the shower. He sat at his kitchen table and waited impatiently for her to finish. Eventually, the water stopped and the faint sound of dripping could be heard.

"You all done in there pussy cat?"

"Ummmm."

"What, what is it now?"

"Heh…it just occurred to me that I don't have any dry clothes to change into. I know you've already done so much for me, buuuuuut do you think I could trouble you for-"

"HERE just…take this and-and this!"

He grunted in annoyance and slight embarrassment. He wasn't used to having girls naked in his home, much less asking for his underwear to wear. But he knew he couldn't let her sleep in here butt naked. Graham removed his Spider-man shirt and handed it to her through an open crack in the door, along with a pair of black and grey biker shorts he wore on deliveries during the summer.

"T-t-t-thank you," she replied meekly from behind the door.

Thank god there was a door between them; neither one could see how unbearably red the other's face was. After a few minutes Clawdia finally exited the bathroom. Their eyes locked for a moment, inevitably following down to their bodies and finding it quite hard for either to look away.

Graham had seen that Spider-man shirt a hundred times. He's had it for years and the wear and tear on it was quite obvious, and yet, it looked amazing resting comfortably on Clawdia's shapely figure. It was as if seeing her in his shirt made her a thousand times more attractive, like it was some sort of magic coat that warped the world around her into some sort of personalized paradise for him. Something about her wearing something of his just made his heart beat a little bit faster and his cheeks growing a few shades hotter.

Clawdia had never seen Graham shirtless before. The sudden sight of his young form sent shivers down her spine. There were a few bruises and scrapes; no doubt from falls while on his bike, but otherwise he had quite the bod. She had seen plenty of big buff muscle heads in the Rebellion and the Glutton Empire, but they never impressed her much. Graham on the other hand had a natural, almost inviting figure that looked more sculpted and healthy. He was no Olympic athlete but his toned body was quite easy on the eyes none the less.

"W-w-what, what's wrong? Does my fur look all funny or something? I just showered so of course it's going to-"

"No-no it's not that…you just…look really pretty."

"Oh…Oh I see," she paused; blushing furiously. She looked down curiously at the shape of her figure in his night clothes. She twiddled her paws anxiously. "Thanks…you um…your kind of dashing looking…wasn't expecting that," she laughed uneasily.

"I could say the same about you. Definitely wasn't expecting _this_ from a former Glutton commander," he chuckled.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"I dunno, guess only time will tell."

Graham prepared his bed for Clawdia but she insisted on sleeping on the pull out bed in the couch. His chivalrous nature was quite touching, but deep down the cat girl felt that she deserved the less comfortable bed considering all she's put him through AND the fact this was his home. Eventually, he agreed to her terms and went to his bed while she got cozy on the pull-out one.

"Good night Graham."

"Good night Clawdia."

The lights clicked off as the two attempted to slip off into dreamland.

Though Clawdia had no trouble sleeping, feeling comfortable and safe inside this little home on wheels; Graham struggled. He stared blankly at the ceiling. His mind raced with wild thoughts and endless questions, all concerning the young furry girl snoozing away peacefully just a few feet from his bed.

 _This is every level of crazy. How did I end up shacking up with a former Glutton? Ugh! Stop that, I'm NOT shacking up; she's just crashing here. She'll be gone tomorrow and I'll go back to my ordinary, RV bound lifestyle. Still…_

He tilted his head up from his pillows. He could have sworn he heard an odd sound. Clawdia briefly raised a paw up before letting it collapse down next to her face. She yawned adorably before returning to silent slumber.

Graham couldn't stop smiling at such a sweet sight.

 _It would be kinda cool if she was here in the morning…and maybe even stayed a bit longer after that. Guess I'll see in the morning._

He closed his eyes, let loose a grumbly yawn and went to sleep.

* * *

The next day…

Graham slowly sat up from his bed; lazily rubbing his eyes and smacking his lips to get that dry sandpapery taste out of his mouth. His attention quickly went to the wrinkled blankets and ruffled pillows on the pull-out bed.

No sign of Clawdia.

"Yeah, should have figured that," he sighed miserably.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"I hear ya Reggie. Just give me a few minutes, I gotta wake my lazy ass up," he replied.

Normally telling your employer to wait and acknowledge your own laziness wouldn't be considered very smart. But Graham knew Reggie well enough to let that kind of talk slide. He scrubbed his teeth with his brush as he prepared himself for another uneventful, pizza slinging day.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Holy Hell, I'm coming I'm coming already! Jeez man, what happened? Did the place burn to the ground or something?" he stomped towards the front door. Graham pulled it open, his toothbrush still poking out of his mouth. "What could be so important that you-"

He nearly dropped his toothbrush in shock.

There, standing in front of his RV wearing a waitress outfit and holding a plate of steaming fresh pizza and breadsticks was Clawdia. Two small suitcases packed to the brim sat side by side her red booted ankles.

He was at a loss for words.

"I know pizza and breadsticks are like the unhealthiest things you could eat for breakfast, but since your boss doesn't serve much in the way of breakfast foods I kind of had to improvise," she said with a nervous laugh.

She politely handed Graham the food while he stood there; still stunned.

"So, I kind of slept well last night…like _amazingly_ well and it gave me this crazy idea, which you may or may not freak out over. You see, I hate my life. I hate where I live, I hate my job, I hate pretty much everything and everyone that's in my dumpster fire of a life…except for you," she tenderly. A sweet smile warmed her furry cheeks. "I only just met you last night but that was the best night I've had in-in like forever, and I don't want to go back to the gutter where you found me.

"I want to do something crazy for a change and leave everything behind just so I can serve pizzas with you and travel wherever this giant heap can take us. I got up early, hitched a ride home and back just so I can pack up my stuff, leave my old life behind and come here so I can serve you breakfast. Which I know is REALLY presumptuous of me but," she slumped over and sighed, "I've got nothing left. You're the only thing that's ever been remotely good in my life and I'm not ready to let you slip through my paws right now."

Graham continued to stare silently at her.

"So what do you say, willing to give a crazy cat girl serving you pizza at 9am in the morning a shot?" she asked meekly.

He carefully considered her proposal. He raised his hand to his chin; projecting a haughty sense of intense contemplation. Finally, Graham had devised an answer. He picked up a piece of pizza and stuffed it into Clawdia's mouth. She almost gagged but managed to bite it down and swallow. The young man took a piece for himself; flashing that same devilishly charming smile that had inspired Clawdia to take this risk in the first place.

"You had me at pizza and breadsticks," he took a great big bite and nodded. That smile never leaving his face.

To be continued…

* * *

 _Nukem the author back again, finally with a new update! I'm still unsure on where I am going with this story or how its going to turn out but it'll probably be short; around 5 chapters or 6 at most. Tell me what you guys think! Like it, dislike it, think I should add anything? Whatever I can do to make this little romance more fun, let me know! I don't own Clawdia or any Fighting Foodons names, characters or settings etc.  
_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: One lifetime later**

Clawdia sighed contently as she sat on the yellow lawn chair; feeling a serene breeze pass along the slivers of silver fur on her hot pink locks and blowing whiskers. The RV was parked on top of a hill. She was treated to a beautiful view of an endless field of emerald green grass as she sat back and smiled.

The cool refreshing blast of cold air gently nipping her whiskers, the warm rays of the sun dancing across her fur alongside the shadows of the shifting clouds, and most pleasant of all; the smell of barbecue sizzling on a grill being operated by the man she loved.

Graham turned from his grill work and saw her, smiling in return. He waved to her. She waved back. His nose twitched as the smell of fresh smoke thickly clogged his nostrils. He gasped in shock and saw his prized steaks were becoming blacker as the rising flames consumed them. Graham quickly tried to put them out; much to Clawdia's amusement.

She really was a lucky girl. She remembered how lucky she was every time she looked at that sparkling ring on her paw.

Her cheeks flashed a rosy blush at the thought of being his wife.

How strange this scenario was. Years ago, she remembered teasing and ripping on Coco for nursing such a large crush on Chase. She was so embarrassed you could fry an egg on her head…and she did!

Now here she was; experiencing the same stomach butterflies and feeling her face turn redder than a pepperoni pizza. Hard to believe how much she's grown and changed in the last 3 years since she first met Graham that one rainy night.

"Better hurry and get this letter finished before he comes back with lunch," she said softly. Her eyes fall down upon a slight bump along her stomach. Clawdia's smile widened. "Don't you agree, little one?" she asked sweetly.

A faint kick wiggled the stomach as if it were made of jelly. The cat girl felt her heart soar and leaned down to kiss the belly; her lips making the faintest of smacks. Clawdia returned her attention to the blank piece of paper before her. The only words she had managed to write were "Dear Chase."

"I wanted to write to him much sooner, but, I wasn't sure if being with Graham was something that was going to last. Usually all the good things that happen in my life go away as quickly as they come. Chase is the only other person I have in my life that I'd be proud to call friend. I know he'd be happy to hear my news, I just know it," she said optimistically.

Clawdia's furry digits reached for a pen; picked it up and at long last, began writing the letter she's waited all her life to write.

 _Dear Chase_

 _Never thought you'd hear from me again, huh? Well to be honest, if you had told me years ago that I'd be writing to you like this after all those times I tried to stop you from defeating King Gorge and the Glutton 4, I'd thought your egg was totally cracked._

 _Yet here I am, writing back to an old enemy who I now view as one of my closest and dearest friends. Heh…funny how things turn out…isn't it?_

 _I really hope Pie Tin, Oslo, your dad and everyone else is doing well and I especially hope you're taking good care of that adorable ninja cutie, Coco. I hope you realize how lucky you are to have her in your life. It's not every day you find someone who is willing to look past your faults, your flaws and love you so unconditionally…I learned that the hard way over these past 3 years._

Clawdia paused as she felt a kick emanating from her stomach. She giggled, clutched her belly and stroked it softly. After a few minutes of staring dreamily at her belly, the cat girl resumed writing.

 _That's right, you're number one fine feline actually fell in love! I even got married and knocked up, isn't that crazy?! Who'd thought that? Certainly not me!_

 _His name is Graham and while we didn't meet under the best of circumstances, every moment with him since then has been a dream come true; though sometimes it is like a nightmare too *giggle*. He's stubborn, brash, mouthy and always keeps me on my toes; he kind of reminds me of you._

 _He pulled me out of a dark place at a dark time in my life…just like you did…and ever since then; everything fell apart and just got worse and worse. But then I met Graham and I realized something, I realized that for the first time in my life I don't have to be what everyone wants me to be._

 _I don't have to be the kiss ass lackey Cinnamonkey and Coleslaughter wanted me to be, I don't have to be the human shield Grill turned me into, and I definitely don't have to be the pariah everyone views me as; not anymore. I can be myself and seek the life I want to live without it benefitting anyone else. I don't have to be evil, I don't have to be good; I can just be me and more importantly, find out what it means to BE me and who I am as a person…err…cat girl._

 _That reminds me, I can't thank you enough Chase for letting me keep my magic and remain as I am rather than turn back to my original form. Being a pink haired cat girl is oddly enough the one thing King Gorge did that I'm grateful for._

 _Before you make a face (and I know you are), try to listen and understand before you judge me. I don't know who I was before the whiskers but to be totally honest, I don't want to know. I have this weird thought in the back of my mind that I'm some…boring…ordinary…bland cardboard cutout of a human being and that's not the life I want to live nor is that the person I want to be._

 _Despite all that's happened, despite all the battles, the evil empires, the dark magic and all that other stuff; I really do like myself the way I am. I feel like I'm the happiest and best version of myself at this moment and I'm too scared to lose all that just because I used to be another way. I can put up with the dirty looks and snide comments if it means I can be me, and also, be_ loved _for being me._

 _Graham accepts me, he loves me; claws and all and he's never once held my criminal past against me. I thank my lucky stars that pervy weirdo dragged me to his hotel room when I was unconscious *laughs* it sounds insane I know, but it's true. I love him with all my heart and I am proud and honored to share a bed with him and carry his child into this world._

 _I can't help but laugh as I'm reading this back. I must sound like a giggly newborn kitten! This doesn't sound like me at all, not the Clawdia you tangled with back in the day. Don't worry, I promise there's a point to all this rambling._

Clawdia tapped her pen to her chin; contemplating before resuming.

 _The main reason I'm writing to you, the main reason I'm telling you all of this stuff is because…I really wanted to say thank you. Meeting you and your friends turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. If you hadn't beaten me time and time and time and…okay I better stop keeping track or I'm going to depress myself to death; anyway the POINT I am trying to make is that I wouldn't have been in a position to meet Graham if you guys hadn't saved the world from me and the Glutton empire._

 _You saved me from a path I thought was the right one for me. You allowed me to remain who I am and not give up everything that defines me just because I used to be a Glutton…no one has ever done anything like that for me…heh…until I met Graham that is. I never could have imagined things would turn out this way, but I'm forever grateful that they did. No matter what form I took on before or if I was human or a cat girl, I'm happy with the way I am now in the place that I am now and I hope the same can be said for you too, Chase._

 _So wherever you are, whatever doing and whatever new crazy Foodon dish your whipping up, know that I wish you the best and I hope to introduce you to my new family when we meet again, someday._

"Hun, food's ready! Scarf it while it's hot," Graham called out.

"Coming love," Clawdia happily replied.

THE END

* * *

 _Thank you all who've read to this point! I intended for this story to be longer but over time, my ideas for it changed, my passion and interest waned and I didn't know where else to go with the story. I know it seems rushed but in the end, I am happy with how this all came out. I hope you guys enjoyed it and I appreciate all that followed and favorited it. I got one more chapter to upload, but its not a continuation; its a bonus alternate take on the first chapter. Thanks for reading and bye for now!_


	4. BONUS Chapter Zero (Original chapter 1)

**A Cat Crossed My Path**

 **Chapter 1: Declawed**

(POV)

Life sucks…like a lot.

I mean, life for me has always kind of sucked; it's nothing new. But just when you think you can't sink any lower, fate comes in and drops kick your bruised ass face first into the mud when it's raining and leaves you to rot like yesterday's garbage.

That's the joy of being me…Clawdia the cat girl.

"Hey, glutton tramp, get your furry cat ass out of dream land and get back to work!" my boss yelled with a fury I was all too familiar with.

"AH! Uh y-y-yes boss, right away boss!"

Your probably wondering: what's a cat girl like me doing in the back end of a crappy Chinese restaurant, scrubbing dishes and serving tables; being treated no better than the scraps of food I'm asked to throw away after a customer is finished with them.

I don't deny I must be a sorry sight. I look down at myself, sighing miserably at the sorry state I've fallen into. Me, a sweet, mistreated pink cat girl with rose colored hair, purple eyes with a tuft of white fur on the crest of my red bodysuit; encircled with an orange bow that rose just above my pink tail. The polarizing odor of pine scented dishwater assaults my senses as my paws remove another tray of dishes from the sink.

"Ugh water…a girl's worst enemy," my paws are soaked and sore; they look like a pair of swollen, rotten pink raisins. "It's bad enough I have to be treated like roadkill and work this awful job, but isn't there anything else for me to do other than washing dishes all day? Even scrapping the fryers sounds more fun than this," I moan to no one in particular. Much as I hated waiting tables, I hated dealing with water even more. People always looked at me like I was their arch enemy or something.

Enemy…

That was a funny word now that I think about it. I shouldn't really be surprised people treat me this way, after all, that was the word people had called me once upon a time. Now they worship _my enemies_.

"Those stinking kids, this is all they're fault" I griped miserably.

I find myself thinking on the past a lot these days, it's the only way I can escape the obnoxious smell of cheap egg rolls and overcooked sushi. This place is an odious assault on my very being and thinking back on my old job…no…thinking back on my old _life_ is the only way I can drift away from the gutter trash I call my existence.

I remember being a loyal servant to King Gorgeous Gorge, leading of the Gluttons and former ruler of the world. He had used his magic to turn me into the foxy feline commander of his forces, had me chase down an unruly bunch of brats that were becoming thorns in the King's side, and I was all too happy to do it too. When I was a Glutton, I had power and control; monsters and minions galore, people saw me and knew that I was bad news and I loved every misery making minute of it.

But then that kid, that annoying brown and yellowed haired brat Chase came along and really put a knot into my tail. He kept screwing my all my best laid plans and eventually, King Gorge treated me like a second rate flunky. I wound up at the bottom of the barrel and licking the boots of every ungrateful member of the Big Glutton 4. Even though we were all on the same team, they still treated me like an empty can of tuna.

"Boy, I could really go for a can of tuna right now;" the thought brings tears to my eyes. It'll still be another 2 hours until I can eat, and it certainly won't be anything as divine as tuna. "Even a sliver, a scrap, Hell, I'd even take an empty can and just lick out the leftover juices," I swear my sensitive tongue can just taste it now as my lip quivers, "Even that would be heaven…it really would." My paws clench together, praying as my heart pounds fondly at the thought of that wish being fulfilled.

God, how pathetic can a girl be?

I used to eat grapes and freshly cooked salmon, served on a platter from my food monster minions unworthy hands. Now I'm drooling over the dwindling remains of an already emptied out tuna can like its gourmet cuisine, an _imaginary_ tuna can.

"Even my fantasies are pathetic," I groaned out loud. A quick shout from my boss quickly lowered my whimpering down several notches. I continue scrubbing the dishes, nervously fearing another poorly constructed dish would be lobbed my way by that hairy ape of an owner.

Where was I? Oh yeah, the big fat collection of stupid heads called the Big Glutton 4: Cinnamonkey, Cole Slawter, Rose Marinade and Grill.

Each one of them were high ranking generals in King Gorge's illustrious Glutton army. I was assigned to work for them, serving the next general after the last one fell. They treated me about as well as everyone else around here treats me. I did everything they asked for, even stuck with King Gorge to the very end and I STILL got left in the dust. Chase and his goody-good friends beat all 4 of the generals and turned them back into what they were before King Gorge cast his spell on them. The thought of turning back to whatever I used to be just makes my fur stand end all over.

Eventually, they beat King Gorge and brought all kinds of mushy, gooey, lovey dovey happiness to the world. Yuck, all that happy ending junk gives me heartburn. Luckily for me, Gorge's spell didn't break and I got to stay the way I wanted to stay, but the bad news meant that I became permanently labeled as the only bad guy left to chuck rotten tomatoes at. I had nowhere, nowhere to work or live. No one trusted me; everyone thought I was still a Glutton girl at heart.

"This is all Chase's fault. If that stupid kid and his puke faced little pals hadn't mucked things up, I'd be sitting pretty right next to King Gorge's throne on a diamond embroidered, velvet pillow," I declare affirmatively. He gets to enjoy the good life while I'm stuck here washing dishes for barely minimum wage. "I am Clawdia, hear me roar! I may be beaten but I'm not done for. I still have my pride and my dignity and NO ONE can take that away from me," I said proudly.

"Hey cat freak! The toilet's backed up again. Some newbie flushed down a whole bag of stale fortune cookies and now it's overflowing," my boss shouted towards me from his office. Mr. Pranz loved torturing me. Anytime he found out I hated something or was afraid of doing something, he made sure it was on my list of chores. Just hearing his grading voice caused my ears to wilt.

"Ugh, can't someone else do it?" I whine in reply. My eyes lazily glance over the pitiful reflection in the freshly polished plate. I place it right next to a cup full of freshly cleaned silverware. My tail drooped like a withering weed. "Why bother arguing? I'm gonna end up doing it anyhow," I sigh in defeat, "that rotten sack of crap probably needs me to unclog the toilet because he's too stupid to operate a plunger himself," I grumble under my breath.

"I HEARD THAT YOU FILTHY FELINE!" he shouted back. Apparently I wasn't as quiet as I thought.

"ACK, SORRY" I shrieked frantically. I scrambled towards the bathroom before I was yelled at again or had something thrown at me. That's the last thing I needed tonight.

Just looking at the grungy bathroom made me want to puke all over the floor. Come to think of it, judging by the smell in here, I think someone already did. The walls are plastered with brown rust and bits of hair mingled amongst the wet specks of toilet paper that fell on the floor. The plunger was heavily stained; it looked like it hadn't been washed in years. The overload of filth and grime in here turned my stomach. My pink fur color was turning more avocado-green by the second.

"Great job Clawdia, you finally did it. You've accomplished your dream. You went from cleaning the bathrooms at King Gourge's palace to cleaning the bathrooms of a dingy Chinese takeout joint," I mutter to myself.

My claws grasp the plunger's handle, cringing with disgust at the colored textures along the wooden base. I'd rather not know what caused those stains. The smell was too much so I had no choice but to take my green headdress off and use it as a makeshift mask. I opened the toilet and stared into the rancid abyss. The plunger squished loudly in the water, my throat tightens as chunks of lord-knows-what come floating out with each thrust.

"More I think about it, this really wasn't Chase's fault. He didn't turn my life into this dumpster fire… _I did_ ", I admitted. Even before I sported whiskers and fur, I always ended up hanging with the wrong crowd. No one was ever my friend…not really. I liked animals more than people and they seemed to like me too. "Maybe that's why King Gorge turned me into a cat," I said ponderingly.

Part of me is grateful for King Gorge turning me into a cat girl. I don't recall much from my human days but I seem to remember being dull and boring. Of course, it's thanks to him I ended up in this situation; even more so than Chase. No matter whose butt I had to kiss or what order I had to follow, my superiors didn't want me around; they didn't want my help period.

"That bastard Grill even tried to kill me…twice!" I shout indignantly; echoing loudly in the grungy stall.

"KEEP IT DOWN IN THERE!"

Leave it to my boss to kick me when I'm _already_ down on my knees scrubbing out a toilet. I can feel the cold, dampness of my tears running down my cheeks. The tears splash down into the toilet water and cause ripples. I just want to break down and cry until I drown myself in my own tears!

Staring into my murky reflection amongst the soap bubbles and filth ridden fortune cookie chunks, I felt a different emotion overwhelming me: hate. My eyes gush with rage filled tears. I feel the plunger handle crackling under my crushing claws. "I hate this job, I hate my current boss, I hate my old boss, I hate my life and most of all, I hate," my voice halts suddenly, my throat clenched tightly with a suffocating surge of sadness, "I hate _me_ …and my stupid, ugly little body."

Eventually I must have finished unclogging the toilet and cleaning that grotesque excuse for a litterbox. I'm not sure really, I kind of zoned out after making that depressing revelation. I clocked out, headed downstairs to the shoddy, crumbling basement I called my home. Pranz allowed me to stay in the basement below the restaurant as long as I worked for him. It's some stupid parole plan-thing. I don't really see how this is any better than jail personally. If anything, I'd prefer being locked up than sleeping on that rickety, bone aching cot Pranz got for me.

"Oh well, at least I'm going to bed and this miserable day can finally end. I doubt things can get much worse at so close to bedtime," I said; failing to hold back a yawn. Much as I want to shower in the ice cold water so I can get the bathroom stank off me, I just want to sleep and recharge for whatever crap tomorrow is going to dump on me. "Don't worry Clawdia, tomorrow is another day," I weakly proclaim; failing miserably to inspire any confidence in myself.

My claws reach up to grab the cord on the single, dimly lit dangling lightbulb hanging above my coat. I yank on it and feel it snap off like it had been taped on. The bulb tumbles down and shatters on my head.

CRASH!

"OW…ugh…I was so wrong," I groan before passing out.

The next day…

Today is waitress day, I HATE waitress day. Well actually, I enjoy any day I work here about as much as I enjoy slamming a door on my tail but you get the idea.

The main reason I hate waitress day is because it's the one day of the week Mr. Pranz has me serve the customers instead of cleaning after them or doing my other basic janitorial duties. He doesn't want me waitressing because a lot of people recognized me from my glory days as a Glutton and refuse to eat any food I hand to them. It's a risk every time waitress day comes rolling round the corner, but Mr. Pranz basically gets free labor out of me so he knows it makes sense to use me wherever and however he can.

Frankly, I'd rather scrub dishes then take orders. Even when I disguise my face so I don't get recognized, I still get mouthed off by customers and get my ass grabbed by every perverted creep after they've had a few drinks in them. Not like Mr. Pranz does anything about it anyway. Any time I tell him someone's getting grabby; he just tells me 'payback's a bitch and so are you' and then tells me to get back to taking orders.

"Okay, it's just one night, one night and you won't have to do it for another week", I remind myself. My defeated eyes stare dully at the dirtied patch of white fur on my chest. I feel my paws tremble and quiver; trying to muster the courage to walk out there and face what humiliation awaits me. "I know no one has ever told you this Clawdia…but you can do this, you can do this," I silently chant; like a mantra.

CLICK!

The door opens and I force myself out into the jungle of judgment and hostility that awaited me. Who knew being a waitress would be even more dangerous than attacking a village with a giant Foodon monster? I felt like I was walking on a trip wire above a giant pit of medical waste needles every time I approached a table. Thankfully, for most of the night, no major problems reared their ugly heads. I went to a table, took their orders, dodged any chauvinistic questions or comments and brought their meals. Everything seemed to be going just fine…and then there was _this guy_.

"Well hello miss delicious. Such a pleasure to see you again tonight, wouldn't you agree?" he smugly asked. His tongue flickered out of his mouth like a lizard's. My fur stood on end every time I saw that repulsive appendage. He flaunted it to me like it was his pride and joy.

His name is Jonas, Jonas Alex. He always sat at the same booth with the same 3 Neanderthal looking bottom feeders. This was a particular group that had started visiting this restaurant the past 3 weeks, always showing up when I was on waitress duty. This guy was handsome, no doubt, but his cold grey eyes revealed the sinister ugliness that lurked behind that dashing face. He had medium length black hair, a chin full of straggly, unkempt black hairs. He wore a faded brown bomber jacket, jungle green shirt and black jeans.

The two in the back wore matching black leather jackets and torn jeans. They appeared to be brothers, one had spiked up red hair while the other had a shaved head and a red goatee. The beastly brothers made sickening cat calls every time I turned my back to them. The bald one had a toothpick between his teeth; it quivered with every sick smile he sent my way. The one next to Alex had a blond buzz cut, cherry red eyes, a faded orange hoodie and dark blue jeans. He looked like the kind of guy who'd visit your home with a butcher knife and a hockey mask while you were sleeping.

"H-h-h-hello again d-d-dear customers, what can I get for you tonight?" I said; forcing myself through the fear clutching my throat. A hollow smile was put on for the sake of appearances.

"Oh come now miss. There's no need for such frivolous formalities, I should say you know us fairly well by now," Jonas sinfully cooed. Isn't cleaning toilets punishment enough? Why do I have to put up with this leering vulture practically licking my body with his eyes too? "My associates and I have enjoyed your professional company and hospitality quite sufficiently. Now, we know your day to day activities are taxing, but I think I speak for the group's benefit when I say we would be delightfully charmed if you could grace us with your _pleasurable_ company when your employment time expires."

I think I just threw up a little in my mouth. Jonas is a lady killer, metaphorically and probably literally if you ask me. He probably got into dozens of women's pants with that smooth talk. Every night he oozed his way onto my waitress shift, he's tried to sweet talk me into joining his pack of hyenas for a night of unimaginable horrors. Just the thought of him touching me made me pull down my skirt and hide my legs as best I could.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid my schedule is just too busy to work…ahem… _that_ kind of fun into my daily life," I politely decline. No matter what I say or how I say it though, the message never seems to get across.

All of them looked quite displeased at my answer, but the blond buzz cut seemed especially bent out of shape. He slammed his fist on the table; causing me to flinch. "I'm so sick of this polite surface BS. The chick seriously needs a good working over, why don't we just-"

"DONALD!" Jonas said with a commanding shout.

Donald growled bitterly under his breath. He glared blood red daggers at me and then towards Jonas, but one quick flash of those cold grey eyes caused the blond to suppress any further outbursts or objectionable remarks.

As disturbed as I was by Donald's savage impatience, I was creeped out even more at how easily he was subdued by Jonas. It was like a tiger being whipped by a bigger, meaner, angrier looking tiger. My legs felt like jello. I clutched my claws across the menus, holding them protectively against my chest.

"I apologize for that uncivilized outburst, miss. That is not how I intended the night to begin. Then again, we have been trying on several occasions to get you to come along so perhaps we can split the difference and skip our usual so we can-"

As his words droned on, his hand was slithering dangerously close to my body. My legs tensed up in fear. Based on the trajectory of his hand, I couldn't tell if he was reaching for my hand, my waist or my thigh. Where ever he was aiming for, I wanted nothing to do with this sleaze! I back away and quickly cut him off before anything further was said or done.

"AH your usual's, silly me! I should have known. I'll be right out with those in a second," I say anxiously. My feet couldn't get me out of there fast enough. I felt like I needed a cold shower just being near those disgusting creeps. My whole body shuddered in revulsion.

The next 2 hours were a living Hell. Jonas and his scumbag friends kept calling me out to fulfill every single little request. They wanted me out as often as possible so I had no excuse to avoid them. Even after they got their orders, those slime balls still kept asking me for things; like constant drink refills and more fortune cookies.

"Finally, closing time," I sigh contently; idly removing my bandana cover up off my face. "Looks like I dodged that pervert for another night." My ears wilt like soggy pizza slices. Nothing's sadder when your good days are only good because you dodged a gang of gropers for umpteenth time.

My aching pink claws reach up for my time card. Just one swipe of this little card and I can finally relax, kick up my feet and-

"HEY, CAT FREAK! Hold that punch out, I need you to take all the expired and uneaten food out to the dumpster," Mr. Pranz shouted demandingly. "I don't want it staying here all weekend and stinking up the place."

You have got to be freaking kidding me! I was literally just a few seconds away from getting out of here, and now he dumps THIS on me too? "But boss, Souske was supposed to take care of that, it's his duty to take out the trash," I whimpered, "how come he gets to punch out when his work isn't finished? I shouldn't have to pick up his slack."

"You keep talking and acting this way and I don't see how you're going to last at this job, much less in life; you furry loser," he coldly snapped back.

I can barely contain my excitement…thanks boss.

As everyone else was punching out, ready to go home; I'm dragging two huge black bags of trash out to the alleyway to toss into the dumpster. I hated going in the back alley. It was so dark, narrow and cruddy. The whole alleyway is as fowl and ghoulish looking as that rancid smelling yellow dumpster I'm heading towards. My feet and paws stress against the sagging weight of rotten Chinese food inside the bags. I don't know which smelled worse, the trash in the dumpster or the nauseating Chinese filth I'm trudging through; in an alleyway that smelled like dog piss.

"After all the crazy, ridiculous things I've been through, after all the times I came this close to losing all 9 of my lives…I never thought I'd end up here," I said; sulking silently. My whiskers droop as my sad frown increases. "Congratulations Clawdia, you've done it: you've officially reached the bottom of the barrel. This is the lowest point in your life."

RIP!

One of the bags suddenly snapped in half. The bag dropped to the ground with a sickening thud, gooey chunks of tempura shrimp and chop-suey splash outwardly like rotten egg splatter. I feel my furry legs grow thick with the half eaten scraps I spent the night serving to customers. I felt like my heart dropped down along with that bag. My woeful eyes looked at the torn top of the trash; still clutched in my paw.

"Nope…I was wrong… _this_ is the lowest point in my life," I whimpered.

KRAKKA-BOOM!

Thunder screeched across the ash black sky, murky clouds swirling like dancing shadows across the city. My ears twitch as an icy cold drop trickled down my hair and dampening the back of my neck. That single drop was followed by thousands more. Rain showered down within seconds, my whole body was soaked from head to tail tip. The water piled up in the uneven dents in the pavement, causing puddles to form everywhere. The rain seeped into the spilled trash bag. Bits of garbage floated out and huddled around my now-soaked red boots.

"OH COME ON" I shout towards the heavens. This was it, the last straw! Everyone and everything thinks they can just keep dumping on me because I was a bad guy, well not anymore. "You hear me world?! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH. I'm DONE taking all of your crap. So what if I was a Glutton, so what if I tried to help King Gorge take over the world? I'm through getting dumped on again and again because of it!" My chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, I could feel myself growing colder as the rain seeped deeper into my fur.

I don't care if I got sick or if anyone could hear me. Hell, I don't even care if God pointed his mighty finger down at me and ordered me to stop. I'm done being everyone's butt monkey!

"I'm not apologizing for anything anymore. No matter how good I act, everyone still treats me like I'm the bad guy, so why bother trying to be something I'm not?" My soaking boots stomped firmly into a puddle. My arms raised into the air; declaring to the world in a defiant scream of rage that I was done being the world's doormat. "I am Clawdia the Glutton and I am proud to be a Glutton, you hear me? I. AM. PROUD!"

"A Glutton… _I knew it_."

That voice, that unmistakable, empty void of a voice. The moment I heard it I felt my heart die mid-heartbeat.

"Not him…please…anyone but… _Him_ ," I whimper in the cold, dead of the night.

The rain started to fall harder. I felt the chill of water soaking into my fur even more intensely; quickly turning into a frosty downpour. My body slowly began to turn; as if being possessed by the devil. I have stared down death down far too many times working for the Glutton Empire. I've seen some pretty nasty characters and even nastier monsters, but in all my life, I've never met a monster or foe as devoid of compassion as the man who stood before me.

" _Jonas_ " I hiss under my breath.

There, standing in the rain like a soaked reaper coming for my soul, was Jonas. He and his gang of bloodthirsty savages looked at me like a fresh slab of meat; taunting them to chew on me until there was nothing but bones left. Donald and the Ogre-like brothers chuckled; their laugh was cruel and disturbingly dark. The gang inched closer, not the least bit hindered by the rain.

"I thought you're pretty little face looked familiar, Whiskers. You were that fine piece of cat ass that lead the Gluttons on a conquest of the world," Jonas crudely declared. My paws were shaking like crazy. I felt the girth of the still-in-tact garbage bag clutched in the palm of my right paw. It wasn't much of a weapon, but at least it was something. "Looks like you've fallen on hard time's pussy cat, tough break. But don't worry my soggy little kitten," I stepped backwards as he stepped closer to me, "we know how to keep you _warm_ , don't we boys?"

Every one of those womanizing, meat hungry jackals were smiling right at me; it sent chills up my spine that even the icy cold rain couldn't compete with. They marched closer and closer. No matter where I looked, all I could see were those unfeeling eyes of theirs.

I scream like a banshee into the sky. My fear carried my voice to levels I didn't think were possible, too bad they were being drowned out by the thunder. I turned around and ran as far away and fast as I could from those perverse predators. Unfortunately, the alleyway ran right into a brick wall; ultimately sealing my fate and trapping me with a gang of ghouls that were a thousand times more evil than any of the Big Glutton 4 ever was.

"L-l-l-l-leave me alone! I'm…I'm warning you, I have a w-w-weapon," I said fiercely. Still clutching the trash bag for some reason, I try to raise it up and wield it like some sort of fowl smelling club. "All of you, stay back STAY BACK, you hear me?!"

RIP!

The bag ripped open during my absurd attempt to swing it like a bat over my head. The trash spilled over my hair and face; dousing me with rotten banana peels and torn packets of soy sauce and other repulsive chunks I'd rather not identify. "GAH OH NO!" my red boot slipped on something. I fall rump first into the scattered trash I was carrying moments ago. "Ugh…someone tell me this is just a bad dream…please," I groan; clutching my throbbing, soaking head.

"Oh no, miss kitty fell down and went boom. How pitifully tragic," Jonas cruelly joked. The twisted creep grabbed a firm handful of my pink hair. I cry out; tears' dripping down my eyes as he violently jerks me onto my feet. "Here, let me kiss it and make it all feel better," his voice and words felt just as cold and merciless as the pounding rain.

SLAM!

"Ugh, please stop it! You're h-h-hurting me!" I cry out; pleading for mercy.

Jonas pressed my face against the brick wall. He twisted one of my arms behind my back and pinned me in an escapable hold, I couldn't even move my tail. I could hear Donald and the two brothers pulling something out of their pockets. Whatever it was, it made clicking sounds; like blades were being uncurled. Jonas flashed a deadly knife to my frightened eyes, all but confirming my suspicions. I gulped loudly. My reflection shimmered in the large blade's terrifying metal. My voice became nothing but a series of shrill mouse-like squeaks.

"Oh no need to clam up now miss kitty cat. By all means, scream to your heart's content, it's not like anyone's going to hear you," Jonas mocked. "And even if anyone did, whose gonna save a criminal like you? You're nothing but a cheap Glutton whore. Just a bad stain on history that no one will be able to wash out for years to come, as such, I doubt there's a soul alive that would give two shits about your miserable hide."

He's right, God help me…he's right. I've done so many terrible things, unforgivable things to Chase, his friends and countless others. Even if I was never as bad as King Gorge or Grill…I'm just as guilty. I'm terrified beyond belief. I'm sure I'm going to die here tonight, here, at the back of a crummy Chinese restaurant; covered in trash and soaking wet.

"Alone…I'm going to die…alone," I whimpered timidly. My greatest fear has come true: killed by someone I've wronged and left to rot, alone. No one will shed a single tear when I'm dead. I know it and most importantly, I know I deserve it.

"HA, HA, HA," Jonas cackled menacingly, "so dramatic pussy cat; you really think we're here to kill you?" I nervously look to him with tear soaked eyes. "Were not interested in carving up a corpse miss kitty, no, we prefer our bodies to be _warm_ ; not cold."

My eyes widened at the blood chilling realization of his words. Any voice or resistance I had left in this waterlogged pink body suddenly vanished. I tried to look at him, tried to beg for mercy with those petrified eyes of mine. All I saw in his eyes was emptiness, a barren desert of snakes and spiders and darkness.

"P-p-p-p-please, I b-b-beg you…don't do this."

"Fret not my furry little tramp, this isn't my first rodeo," he snickered hungrily. I tried to break free from his grip. I had to escape; I had to get out of here now! He flashed his knife and glided it alongside my cheek. My heart and struggling stopped right then and there. "I promise I'll be gentle," he whispered in my ear. I shivered uncontrollably. Jonas forcefully spread my legs apart; I closed my eyes and silently wept. "At least… _in the beginning_ ," he chuckled.

Please…someone help me…anybody…help me.

"HEY SCUMBAGS!"

A new voice bellowed across the dingy, nightmarish alleyway. Jonas paused from his sickening advancement to turn and see what was going on. Donald and the Ogre brothers were already glaring towards this intrusive new player.

I'm just glad he distracted Jonas for the moment.

"What's your malfunction buddy? Can't you see were a little busy at the moment, why don't you piss off before you _get_ offed?" Donald barked fiercely.

"Not until you worthless piles of excrement get you're filthy hands off that woman," the mysterious voice said.

Jonas snickered at the stranger's noble tone. He found his altruistic passion to be rather…amusing…for the moment.

"I'm afraid your services won't be needed hero boy. This one's a known criminal and a former terrorist. Were just giving the lady her proper dues, she knows she's got it coming," Jonas calmly replied.

"PLEASE HELP ME, THEY'RE GOING TO-" I attempt to cry out.

"Shut your mouth you filthy glutton bitch!" he viciously snarled. Jonas slammed my face even harder against the brick wall. I scream in maddening pain, blood trickling down my forehead and across my cheek. "Now then hero boy, why don't you play capes and damsels somewhere else while I'm still in a merciful mood," he said; turning his attention back to the stranger.

Jonas looked back to me, the gleam of his knife flashing once more near my tear and rain soaked cheek. Before he could begin though, his goons started laughing at something. I heard some feet shuffling closer but still couldn't see what was happening.

"Oh man, this guy is too much! You just-you gotta see this man," Donald snickered. He was laughing so hard he could barely finish his sentence.

Finally, Jonas broke away from me. He looked frustrated by his cohorts constantly interrupting his sick idea of a good time. I slumped to the ground. My hands clutched my face, trying to calm down and figure out what to do next. I was so scared though, so unimaginably scared; I couldn't move a muscle.

Jonas bitter rage quickly dissolved into maniacal laughter. It struck him so fast and so suddenly, I almost forced myself out of my cowering to see what was happening. "What is this, huh? Is this some kind of childhood dream shit or something? What am I looking at?" he asked mockingly.

"You're looking at a nightmare… _that's_ what you're looking at," the stranger said. My ears twitched. I couldn't believe it, he's still here. This mystery hero guy is still trying to help me! "Final warning: leave her alone or you got a first class ticket to a world of pain, creep."

What happened next I'm not sure, because I hid my eyes and my ears in a nervous panic and waited for all of it to end; like a bad dream. There were screams, grunts of pain and several instances of cracking wood. I heard something metallic clang as it smashed into a person's body. I don't know who was winning or who was losing, I just remember the fear; the crippling, paralyzing fear that kept me huddled there like a child dreaming of monsters under her bed. More struggling sounds were heard. I could somewhat make out Jonas and his goons voices, but I couldn't tell how they were doing in the fight. I just stayed huddled there, shaking there; hoping for it to end and praying that my pathetic little life would be spared for at least one more night.

Suddenly…it stopped.

I don't know how long I was huddled there or when the fighting ended, but I knew for sure that it was over. My claws slowly pulled away from my eyes and ears. I mustered what miniscule scraps of courage I could find to take a look and see what happened.

"No. Freaking. Way!" I gasp loudly.

They were down, beaten, done for…all of them. Jonas, Donald, the Ogre brothers; they were all face down in the ground covered in bruises. Faint groans escaped the filthy mongrel's lips. Whoever my mystery hero was, he saw fit to let these wretches pieces of slime live. Not the same call I'd make, but hey, beggars and choosers and all that. The rain continued to pour. I felt frozen from head to toe, my fur felt like it put on 10 extra pounds from all the water soaking into me. I knew I should run inside, warm up and lock the door and clean myself off but…I had to find out what happened, I just had to know who wiped these scumbags out so easily and quickly. It was like a ninja came from the shadows and vanquished the evil right out of existence.

"Who…who's there?" I squeaked out; anxiously.

"Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?" the voice kindly asked.

He sounded so fierce when he was talking to Jonas and his goons. Now his voice sounded soft, kind, caring; I don't think I've ever heard of anyone sound so concerned for my well-being before. Just who is this guy?

"Please, tell me, are you hurt anywhere miss?" he repeated.

"Um n-n-n-no I'm fine, well not _fine_ fine but I would have been a lot worse off if you hadn't-" my voice trailed off. My eyelids felt so heavy, everything seemed dark and dim. My head felt like it was on fire and my legs wobbled as if they were made of crumbling Jenga blocks.

The man finally stepped into view. He was of average height, wearing dark maroon colored pants and a long sleeved slim fit shirt with grey straps across his chest making an X like shape. The collar around his neck was black; as was the utility belt he wore. His shoes were dark brown and black, they looked like the kind of work boots a construction worker would wear…with a bit of a classy sheen. Strangely enough, he was also wearing an ink blue colored cape! It looked shabby, homemade; inner lined with stitched pouches containing random items.

"I wanted to ask you a favor miss."

The dim lamppost near the alley finally shined some light on the man's face. My heart jumped into my throat, my cheeks reddening with fiery blushes. This guy was freaking gorgeous! He looks like a dork in that cape. Don't get me wrong, but that baby face of his is making my tail twist inside out. His hair was grunge green with bits of black in it, medium length and unkempt; but charming all the same. But the thing I couldn't stop staring at were his eyes, those hauntingly beautiful, steely blue eyes. I felt like I was melting into a puddle alongside the other puddles just by looking at them.

The man smiled at me, extended his hand and said something I will never, ever forget.

"Come away with me. Leave your tears and your demons; leave them all to the sea. Where we go I cannot say, for not even the heavens know the way. I offer no gold, no riches and no promises of power; only smiles and laughter… just love for you…my furry little flower," he said melodiously.

And with that…I passed out.

To be continued…

* * *

 _So yeah, this was my original first draft for the first chapter of this story. I changed it because I felt it was too dark and too out of line with what I had envisioned for the story, plus I was going through a rough time in my life when I wrote this so I felt my judgement and thought processing was out of whack. Hope you enjoyed this little extra cherry on top of my Fighting Foodons story. Reviews, questions and comments are loved and appreciated! Bye for now!_


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